I went to Oshkosh this year – on an organised tour by a well known aviation tour operator. They offered 3 tours – a long one which included 6 days at the show + 3 days elsewhere, medium which was the show only 6 days and a short one with just 4 days at the show. We stayed in a motel in Appleton which is about 25 miles north of Oshkosh and travelled down each day in a bus. We tended to leave motel at 08.30 getting to the show about 09:15 depending on traffic. Left show at 18;30 getting back to motel at 19:15ish. There were several places to eat wthin walking distance but most of our group ate at the same place each night – good food and excellent value. If you do not mind a bit less comfort then you can stay at the university of Wisconsin halls of residence. These may / may not have a/c which given it is mid summer is a good idea. Not sure what was available food wise here but would imagine there would be several places to choose from.
As for what to do – well it depends what your interests are – if you like warbirds then you will not be disappointed, same goes for vintage. If you are looking to buy bits for an aircraft or even a new one the trade show is extensive and very helpful. One of our group last year was looking for info on a couple of new types and was given a couple of test flights. The EAA museum is also worth a look as some of the larger exhibits may well be outside and if the weather on 1 day looks dodgy then it does offer shelter. (helicopter flights also go from here)
If you enjoy listening to lectures from a range of interesting people then there is an extensive programe. Same with workshops for the homebuilder – again the range of items covered is extensive.
One thing though – be prepared to walk – to see all the major areas will take a lot of walking.
There is also an airshow each day which does concentrate on aerobatics but there will be some gems as well. The Friday show was probably the best in that the heavy bombers were up. I did notice though that aircraft did not always stay the whole week. Some might only stay a couple of days (esp warbirds)
I thoroughly enjoyed the 6 days at the show but it was a lot of walking – would I do it again – you bet. Take time to study the eaa website – it gives lots of useful info + maps of the show itself. Perhaps make a very rough plan for each day and stick to it – otherwise ‘headless chicken syndrome’ happens.
If you want a flight in either the tri-motor or helicopter then book these early as the waiting times can be long (esp for helicopter as only room for 2 pax)
Logged over 3500 reg’s + took 2500+ pics so have got a good record of what was there but it is impossible to see everything. With 6 operational areas (2 concrete runways & 3 grass runways + seaplane base)
If there is any more info I can help with then let me know.
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